


Lucky Stars

by round_robin



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Anal Fingering, Data the Philosopher, Established Relationship, Exhaustion, M/M, Oral Sex, Rescue Missions, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:55:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24086221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/round_robin/pseuds/round_robin
Summary: The truth of the matter was, the Enterprise didn't have luck, she only had bad luck. Like when their port nacelle malfunctioned in the middle of a tense stand off on the edge of the Neutral Zone. Conducting safe passage for a trade ship suddenly became that much harder when it looked like they were trying to violate the Neutral Zone Treaty.Or, when Commander Riker got separated from the away team and a storm trapped him in a cave. For six days.
Relationships: Data/William Riker
Comments: 12
Kudos: 62





	Lucky Stars

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing and mostly finished this fic just before quarantine started (remember those days? when I wasn't stuck inside...) but obviously things got crazy and I sort of forgot about it, started a giant series in the Witcher, and now that's finished, I'm posting this one. I already put it on my tumblr for the probably two people who actually ship Data/Riker, so sorry if you've read this before.
> 
> Please let me know if you find a typo, it'll be taken care of. And enjoy <3
> 
> For more of my nonsense, I'm back on tumblr as round--robin.

Data didn't believe in luck. Strictly speaking, he didn't believe in anything, he just knew. Fact was at the core of his programming; belief was subjective, fact was not. Over the years, he'd learned more of the nuances of belief, he now understood philosophical belief and the difference between fact and _truth_.

The truth of the matter was, the Enterprise didn't have luck, she only had _bad_ luck. Like when their port nacelle malfunctioned in the middle of a tense stand off on the edge of the Neutral Zone. Conducting safe passage for a trade ship suddenly became that much harder when it looked like they were trying to violate the Neutral Zone Treaty. Or when a crate full of emergency supplies was compromised by fungus lurking on the outside of the cargo bay doors. It posed no danger to the ship, so they let it stay until their next docking, the supplies however, did not have that same immunity.

Or, when Commander Riker got separated from the away team and a storm trapped him in a cave. For six days.

They came to study the unique weather patters in this system—mammoth storms that sprung up at a moment's notice and lasted for days, without any obvious change in atmospheric pressure—when one of those weather patterns closed in, fast.

Ionic energy surrounding the planet made it impossible to teleport down, and the storm itself made a shuttle too dangerous. “I'll be fine,” Will's voice crackled over the comm, the signal getting weaker and weaker. “I have rations—days. I'll be fine. Stay—”

His voice cut out, nothing but static in its place.

An icy silence settled over the bridge. Captain Picard was the first to speak. “How many days of rations did the away team take?” Given the planet's weather, this was always a risk, and the away team went in prepared. Picard just never thought... he never expected one trapped alone. Did Will even have a pack with him?

“Three days, Captain,” Geordi said. “We each had three days worth. Commander Riker still had his pack on him.”

“The water on this planet is safe for consumption,” Data said. “He has a tricorder and a few purification tablets. He should be able to make do.” _Make do._ The sentiment felt cold in his mouth—most sentiment did, it was a learned behavior, but this was somehow different. Data had every confidence Will could survive in an unknown wilderness—he had before—but the added difficulty of the storm... There was no truth in this, no fact, just Data's belief that Will Riker could survive.

Captain Picard closed his eyes for a moment and nodded. “We wait until the storm clears. I don't care how long it takes. The Enterprise does not leave her crew behind.”

The moment the storm cleared enough to fly a shuttle through, Picard sent Data and Geordi to retrieve Commander Riker. Besides Will himself, Data was the best shuttle pilot on the ship, he could easily make it through what was left of the storm. Between Data's personal scanning capabilities, and Geordi's visor, they found him in a matter of minutes. A little hungry, a little bruised, and very tired, they managed to get him into the shuttle and back to the Enterprise.

The ship, locked in funeral-like silence for almost a week, was now a flood of chaos. Data and Worf got him onto an examination table and Dr. Crusher checked him over while nurses ran around sick bay, fetching whatever the good doctor needed. “When did you last eat or drink?” she asked, checking his pupils for signs of head trauma.

“Ate last night. Drank this morning,” Riker's dry, exhausted voice rasped. “I split my rations in half the first day.”

“Very prudent,” Captain Picard said. He swept through the sick bay doors, coming to a stop next to his First Officer's side, far away enough to look professional, close enough to examine Will with his own eyes. Data understood his reasoning, he too was having difficulty truly believing Will was safe and back with them. “Welcome back, Number One.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

Dr. Crusher quickly diverted his attention back to her questioning as she continued her exam. “Your scans are showing high levels of cortisol. When did you last sleep?”

“Not too sure.” Will's eyes fell closed, like he wanted to provide proof of his exhaustion. “The cave I found... the storm flooded it. I had to stay awake to make sure I kept to high ground. Yesterday morning, maybe?”

“Mmm, that would do it.”

After a twelve hour hold in sick bay, Dr. Crusher pronounced him, “A little under fed, but mostly just exhausted.” She checked his vitals one more time and shook her head. “The best we can do for him is make sure he gets solid nutrition over the next few days, and plenty of rest.”

“In my own bed, please,” Will mumbled. He'd been asleep on and off over the past twelve hours, but days of exhaustion took a while to repair. He was mostly lucid, he could talk, and feed himself, but Will wouldn't trust himself with his usual duties, not quite yet.

“That's fine. You'll probably get better rest there.”

She called Data and Worf to help him back to his quarters. One alone was probably strong enough to assist, but Will needed all the help he could get. The doors swished open and all three men entered Riker's darkened quarters. He fell asleep on the way, his head leaned into the crook of Data's shoulder. “Computer, lights, ten-percent output,” Data said.

Dim light filled the room, enough to find their way to the bedroom and gently place Will on the bed. Worf and Data turned to leave when a low voice called them back. “Stay,” Will whispered. Exhausted eyes barely open, he extended a hand out towards Data. “Data, stay. I need help.”

“I'll inform the Captain you'll be along in a bit,” Worf said. He nodded at Will and headed out.

He heard the front door swish shut and Will relaxed deeper into his bed. “Help me get undressed?” It's not that he didn't appreciate Worf's help, Will loved his crew and was so grateful to them all... however, Will didn't want to share his weakness this much. In sick bay, that was fine, everyone showed weakness in a sick bed, but here, in his quarters... Some things should remain private.

Data was private. He had been for a while now. Most of the ship knew, or maybe they didn't. Either way, given the choice of Worf helping him out of his clothes or Data, at least Data had done it before.

Will shrugged out of the scrubs Dr. Crusher gave him, clumsy, tired fingers pulling uselessly at the ties. Data pushed his hands away and undid the knot at his waist, sliding the pants off and discarding them on the floor. Will managed to get out of the shirt himself, throwing it... somewhere. “I never want to see those again,” he mumbled.

“I will take care of it.” While Riker was content to rest on top of his bed covers, Data nudged and prodded him under the sheets, retrieving another blanket from the closet just in case. “Do you need anything else?”

“Water?”

Data retrieved a glass of water from the replicator and kept one hand on the glass as Will drank. Blue eyes assured him, _I'm fine, just tired..._

“Come back after your shift?” Will asked, the gravely tone of sleep pulling at his voice.

Data pressed his lips together. “Dr. Crusher says you need rest.”

“I'll rest while you're on the bridge. Please? Come by later?” Will blinked, long and slow, barely able to keep his eyes open, but trying to hold Data's gaze.

As easy as it was for Data to maintain a professional distance with Riker during their work, that resolve crumbled in their off time. Despite his guiding programs and lack of emotion, it was very difficult to deny Will anything he asked of Data.

“I will come by after my shift.”

Will closed his eyes, a small smile gracing his lips. “Thank you.” He reached out and rubbed his hand over Data's leg before rolling away and settling into the pillows. “I'll see you later.”

Data stroked a finger down Will's cheek. “Later,” he said, voice low, then left for the bridge. Everyone would want news of Commander Riker's condition.

~

Nine hours later—after seeing to Spot—Data headed back to Riker's quarters.

The door swished open to reveal Will standing in the middle of this living room, wearing his blue silk robe... and nothing else. He glanced up and smiled. “Hey Data, thanks for coming back.” He took a sip from the steaming mug in his hand and put the pad he was holding on the coffee table. His voice was wrecked, a scraping, cracking noise, the wheeze of irregular breath between every word.

Data frowned. “Caffeine is not good when you need to sleep.” He wrapped an arm around Will's hips and steered him back to the bedroom.

Will smirked at the over the top care. “It's tea, for my throat. Dr. Crusher said I could have it.” He let Data lead him back into the bedroom.

“What happened to your throat? I did not hear of that ailment in your medical evaluation.”

“Atmosphere of the planet,” Will said. “The storm kicked up dust and silt, I breathed it in. I'm fine. A few days, and I'll be back to normal.” He took another sip of his tea and lay down on the bed, peering up at Data, his eyes soft in a way that was too familiar. Not trying to hide his near nudity, Riker opened his robe, letting Data look his fill, soft cock quickly filling out.

“Will,” Data said, his voice low. “I do not think this is a good time. You are still recovering.”

He pulled Data's hand to cup his cheek, rubbing against the android skin, eyes falling closed. “I've slept sixteen of the last twenty-four hours, I had the soup Dr. Crusher recommended, and in a few hours, she said I could try solids. I am following my doctor's orders and resting.” Blue eyes opened, staring up at Data beneath dark lashes with a new kind of vulnerability he'd never seen in Will before. “I was alone for six days. Cold, wet, and alone. I don't want to be alone right now.”

Pressing a kiss to Data's palm, Will pulled back, laying down on the bed. He held Data's eyes as he took off his robe, the invitation obvious.

“This is not advisable,” Data said, but started undressing anyway.

“It'll help me relax and get more rest.” Will moved to make room, but Data laid a hand on his chest, holding him in place. Slowly, he trailed his fingers down Will's chest, through the thick hair, down to his navel, then back up. Data brushed his fingers across Will's nipples and he moaned softly, arching up into the touch. “You don't have to be gentle with me,” Will said with a sigh. “I'm not going to break.”

Data brushed past a bruise on Will's ribs and got a different kind of moan, sharper this time. “While I normally take your preference into account, in this instance, I will be gentle with you whether you like it or not.”

Will chuckled, then sighed again as Data's fingers traced below his navel, almost brushing his cock. “Fine, twist my arm.”

“That is a perfect example of what I shall not be doing.”

Data spent another moment running his hands lightly over Will's skin, acclimating the man to his touch. Whether Will knew it or not, after six days alone and then another with only clinical hands near his skin, sexual activity might overwhelm him. It would be pleasurable, no doubt about it, but in his half exhausted state, heightened emotions may appear. This was the sort of thing Data usually said out loud (and the sort of thing his friends told him not to say out loud) but given Will's current condition, his caution tolerance ticked up a notch and he kept his thoughts to himself.

His first aid programs were also trying to work at the same time as his sex drive, which was... complicated. Grounding himself to Will's skin and taking readings of his vitals—heart rate elevated consistent with sexual activity, pupil dilation consistent with sexual activity—also helped Data acclimate to Will again as well.

With Will relaxed and arching into his touch, Data lowered himself onto the bed, sitting between Will's spread legs. He opened his mouth and licked gently up the side of Will's cock, circling his tongue around the head before heading down the other side. Data licked at the crease of Will's hip and down his thigh, kissing the tanned skin. Will enjoyed a bit of a love bite here and there, and he tried moving his legs closer, urging Data in for a nibble... “I am not taking that invitation,” Data said. “It is an obvious trap.”

“Oh, c'mon,” Will grumbled and spread his legs a little more, reaching down to thread his fingers through Data's hair. “Can't blame a man for trying.”

Will never pushed when they had sex. Data knew that some people liked their partners to show them where to go, either by physically pushing or verbally prodding. Sometimes Will asked Data for something specific, mostly though, he let Data do as he pleased, touching wherever he wanted, exploring Will's body like the beautiful creation it was.

Data slid the tip of his nose up the inside of Will's thigh, drawing a shuddering breath from the man. He did the same on the other thigh, yielding similar results. Warm fingers slipped through his hair, petting the back of his head. Data continued his slow progress, taking small readings as he went—approximately two kilograms under normal weight, moderate dehydration improving, oxytocin levels increasing consistent with sexual activity—until he arrived at Will's sack. He ran his nose up the seam, continuing up the shaft, over foreskin almost completely retracted. Finally, just under the head, Data pulled back and stuck out his tongue, licking one last time before taking Will deep.

The reaction was instant, Will's fingers tensed against Data's scalp and he arched up, lifting his hips off the bed. Data let him for a moment before pushing him back down, gentle, but firm. He let the cock slip from his mouth long enough to shake his head. “This is supposed to be a relaxing activity.”

“Yeah, but you know what you do to me. I can't resist you.” Will smiled and those amazing blue eyes sparkled down at him. Data hadn't yet figured out how he did that.

He took Will in his mouth again, one hand on his hip to keep him pinned to the bed—for his own good, of course. The other hand dipped between his legs, circling softly at Will's hole. Data released more of his organic fluid onto his tongue and lubricated his fingers before pressing two inside.

Will moaned and tried to buck against Data's iron grip. “Fuck,” he hissed.

Data's mouth was busy right now, otherwise he'd reiterate: sex was the opposite of rest. Oral sex was... somewhere in the middle. Data ran his tongue along the underside of Will's shaft, tip sweeping side to side along the vein. He carefully monitored Will, waiting for exactly the right moment to open his throat and take him all the way down.

Will was a very endowed man, and early on in their relations, he confessed that most partners shied away from oral sex with him. There was simply too much there to take, and most preferred to toss him off or let him fuck them, which he wasn't complaining about... Right away, Data declared this absurd and fell to his knees, pulling Will's cock out of his uniform and swallowing him down.

Grabbing at the back of Data's head, Will almost swooned. He'd never felt the back of someone's throat before, never had a nose buried in his pubic hair, tongue still working his shaft. A few partners tried, there was a lot of sputtering and panting, but leave it to Data to succeed where others failed.

Sweat started to trickle down the back of Will's neck and Data took him deeper, nose brushing against his belly. “Ah, fuck, Data...” Will groaned.

The head of his cock slid down Data's throat. The fingers in his ass, pressing on his sweet spot, the impossible feel of Data swallowing around the head of his cock... Will came with a groan, trying to thrust up but being restrained by Data's other hand.

It was a good thing too, as soon as his orgasm ebbed away, Will sank deeper into the mattress, pleasant static filling his head. He gasped softly when Data's fingers pulled out. “Thank you,” he breathed.

“You are welcome.” Data cleaned his hand and settled back on the bed, dragging one hand through Will's hair. “I believe part of our bargain was sleep in exchange for sex. I have fulfilled my end of the transaction.”

“Mmm, yeah.” Will's eyes were already closed. “I'm sleeping, see me sleep.” He felt Data shift on the bed and cracked opened one eye, placing a hand on the android's naked thigh. “Will you stay? Just until I fall asleep. I don't want to... be alone quite yet.”

Data nodded and settled back on the bed, placing himself around Will in the way that was most comfortable for the human. “I will stay until you enter REM.”

“You don't have to wait that long.” Will's eyes closed again, his breath evening out, deepening. “But thank you.”

“You are welcome.” Data continued brushing his fingers through Will's hair until he started snoring.

When Will woke the next morning, Data was still there.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Riker is always hung, you cannot convince me otherwise. No power on this earth.


End file.
